To start cut all lumber to 36" you can vary to suit yourself I used this measurement to keep it simple!

The next thing that you want to do is to cut an angle at the top of each of your 2x4's to start measure down 3 1/2" make a mark and then diagonal to opposite top.
Please be careful when making this cut, if you are using a circular saw you will need to hold gaurd up. This is what the cut will look like ( I missed my mark a little

Make sure and keep the wedges made from the cuts as they will be very handy in future tasks.

The next thing to do is mark your legs for the horiz. brace, make sure and make the marks on the long side of the leg (not the slanted side). I marked mine at 16.5" and 20"from the bottom this puts the brace at almost center of the leg.

Now you want to set the depth of your blade to about 7/8" you will be cutting the area for the brace. The lumber will measure about 3/4" and there will be scrap left that you don't want to spend alot of time cleaning up.

After the marked lines are cut you want to make a cut about every 1/4" between them so that you can easily knock out the remainder with a SHARP chisel.

Now knock out the pieces, the sharper the tool the easier the cut.

There will be a little left in the bottom from the cuts, but there should be enough room since you cut a little deeper than the thickness of the brace.

Last edited by Ward on Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

Now that the legs are notched for the braces you can lay them on a flat surface and insert the 1x4x36 brace. You should check them for square, but if you did a good job cutting the notches the brace should fit snuggly and square

now install 5 of the 6x1 1/4 screws where the brace joins the leg. Make sure and stagger the screws so not to split the wood.

Now align two of the 1x4x36 face to face even to one another and clamp them together.

Next mark 6" from each end and install two hinges inside these marks and one hinge in the middle.

Now slide a wedge into the top to keep it open (You did save the wedges right?)

Now you are ready to attach the legs to the hinged top. With the top being held at an angle similar to the angle on the leg, align the top of the leg with the top of the hinged doue hicky? Use two of the 1 1/4 screws to attach the leg to the top about 1" down from the top (you do not want to exit the 1x4) and then a 2" screw about 2" from the top

After the first leg is installed onto the hinged top I found it easier to stand the leg up and put it into position with the second leg before attaching. Now repeat the steps above, step back and admire the craftsmanship and reward yourself with a cold beverage of choice!! and don't forget to put away your tools.

NO! I was editing his posts to adjust the photos and hopefully we not have to scroll back and forth to read them. I have a 23" wide screen and was still scrolling back and forth to read the posts. I did hit quote vs edit at one point, but that should be fixed now.

Sorry, I'm bad with math, but does the listed amount of materials make 1 saw horse, or 2? Basically if I want 2 saw horses do I double the amount of materials... I feel I should be able to figure this out, but I'm having a brain fart at the office this morning...

Ya know, on my last little project at home, I bought some of those el-cheapo plastic saw horses at the local big box. They're nice, stand up well, but they're so lightweight that when you try to reposition stuff the saw horses slide around too. GRRR. These seem much more substantial. Great tutorial!

You have been starting with making donkeys like me (i have started with doing tham as you)
They looks very good, They are stronger than my donkeys.
and looks very good.
Ä° wish have a good chance with your building,

I realize this might be an old thread. I found this thread/site when searching for a simple collapsible sawhorse. I like what I see, but for some reason I can't understand how the hinging works in this design.

I've looked through and re-read the author's post three times, and still have no idea. I feel pretty stupid now

The first picture where the sawhorse is standing shows the hinged 1x4 pieces that make the top attached to the mitered legs. Now, at that position the hinge seems like it would be completely open, but the 1x4 boards are already together face to face. The only way the hinge can seem to allow a change is to spread the legs apart wider.

But then, in the final picture, somehow the legs are collapsed and the sawhorse is hanging on a wall.

dganesh wrote:I realize this might be an old thread. I found this thread/site when searching for a simple collapsible sawhorse. I like what I see, but for some reason I can't understand how the hinging works in this design.

Look at this photo:

The hinges are on the BOTTOM surfaces of the top beam boards.

To collapse the sawhorse, grab a brace in each hand, lift up a bit, then move your hands together.